Fotografie und Volkskunde in Italien. Ein 'versuchter' Ueberblick (Photography and Ethnography in Italy)

Rather than presenting a complete bibliography, the author deals with
theoretical reflections, practical results and the uses made of photography
within Italian anthropology. Gramsci's concept of 'cultura popolare' is applied
to the culture of the agrarian class in southern Italy, and reference is made
to the photographs contained in a 1911 exhibit on ""Cultura Popular'',
which raises
the issue of how the hegemonic culture views popular culture and how they want
to be represented themselves. Another topic is the production of travelling
photographers, and the question of what was photographed and the degree to
which this depended on the cultural values of the photographed class. The
author attemps to assess photography's current status within the field of
Italian anthropology, with reference to the influence on Italian scientists of
an ""International Conference on Visual Anthropology'' held in Chicago in 1973.
The main issue is whether photography and its explanatory content can be means
of documenting reality. The author concludes that photography plays a crucial
role in the practical and theoretical work of Italian anthropology. (German)